“Here is where we remember”: human rights victories in Central America

Over 40 human rights and international cooperation organizations and Guatemalan State representatives gathered on February the 13th lo launch the campaign “Here is where we remember” (Aquí se recuerda, in Spanish), an initiative aimed at commemorating human rights victories in Central America. The project is a part of the Nexos Human Rights Program, implemented by Hivos for the Embassy of the Netherlands in Central America.

The campaign launch took place at the Royal Palace Hotel, located in the historic center of Guatemala City. An interactive installation allows participants to “visit” human rights achievements through cabins placed over an imaginary map marked with the spots where each country should be located. When entering each cabin, visitors activate a sensor that plays audio recordings of iconic human right events that had -and still have- a positive outcome.

“Remembering human right victories allows us to look into the future and do more coordinated work,” said Myrtille Danse, Hivos Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, during the launch. She also suggested that participants film their experiences while visiting the installation and share other human right successes they could remember, using the hashtag #AquiSeRecuerda.

The installation is open to the public from February 14th to March 7th at the Capiusa Gallery in Guatemala City. After this, it will travel throughout Central America.

Among the participants at the launch was Peter Derrek Hof, Dutch Ambassador to Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, and Milagro Martínez, OAS Representative in Guatemala. Ana Maria Upegui, representative of the UN High Comissioner’s Office for Human Rights in Guatemala, and Fanny Polanía, Nexos Program Coordinator, also attended.

The campaign was originally launched digitally in December 2017 with a call to edit Wikipedia in Spanish and include human right achievements, mainly those related to women, the LGBTI community and indigenous populations. The Wikithon was launched on December 10th, but the campaign has continued since then on social media. At present, the campaign has had over 50 thousand participants on social media.

What other Human Right achievements do you remember?

Share them on social media using the Hashtag #AquiSeRecuerda or #HereIsWhereWeRemember